2 Kings 23-25 are extraordinary chapters. After the great wickedness of King Manasseh’s reign – who set up altars to false Gods even in the temple, who shed much innocent blood, and who even sacrificed his own son in the fire as part of his pagan worship – Josiah proves to be the best king of Judah. In ch 22 the book of the law was found, which had been lost or concealed during wicked King Manasseh’s reign, and like the king was supposed to, Josiah read it to the people (23:3). Then proceded the most amazing purging of the land. Altars to false gods were destroyed, and pagan priests were deposed, ending worship of other Gods other than the Lord (thereby safeguarding the first commandment.) There would be no more male shrine-prostitutes, nor sacrificing of children to Molech, nor burning incence to the sun and moon and all the starry host. There would be no more consulting of mediums and spiritists and other detestable practices. But more than this, the altar to the Lord at Bethel was removed. Although an altar to the Lord, this ‘high-place’ was not authorised by God, and was the site of corrupt worship of the one true Lord. In destroying this, with its priests, Josiah was safeguarding the second commandment – there were to be no images of God, nor false worship of him. Indeed, for the first time since the days of the judges, the Passover – the great celebration of God’s redemption – was properly observed.
With all this concern for God’s honour, and for right worship of him, no wonder we read of Josiah:
“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did-- with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” (2 Kings 23:25)
Yet even all this religious fervour, and putting away of idols and evil practices was not sufficient to change the fate of Judah. In the very next verses we read:
“Nevertheless, the LORD did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger. So the LORD said, "I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, 'There shall my Name be.'" (2 Kings 23:26-27)
Because of the great wickedness of King Manasseh’s sin, future generations will suffer exile – and their own righteousness, even if as unsurpassed as that of Josiah – will not help them.
This is a depressing picture – especially after the hope we have felt in reading of Josiah’s reforms. Yet this is also a picture for us today of our condition. The sins in our past – indeed even the sin of our forefather Adam – make us deserving of God’s judgment. Even a total reformation of our lives, putting away of evil and idolatry, as happened in Josiah’s day, will not be enough to take away the guilt from the past. Even a life of perfection from now until we die would not make up for sins we have already committed.
But how wonderful that as Christians we don’t stand guilty because of the sins of King Manasseh, but rather we stand justified because of the life and death of King Jesus. King Manasseh’s sins resulted in punishment for many of his people. But Jesus Christ’s obedience even unto death results in righteousness and life for many more of his people.
The exile shows us the failure of the old covenant - or rather the failure of the people (Heb 8:8). And it shows us our need of a new covenant, and a better King, who can not only deal with our unrighteousness of the past, but be our righteousness for the present and future.
What confidence this gives us as we see sins in our lives and the lives of others we feel we could never make up for. What hope, as we see ourelves in the wickedness and foolishness and sinfulness of the people of Israel recorded in Kings. We stand on higher ground: not in the shadow of Manasseh’s sin, or our own sin, but in the shadow of the cross of Jesus Christ. We don’t need to try hard to be like Josiah (wonderful though that would be!) Rather we need a greater King than Josiah – and we have one: Jesus, who is our righteousness, holiness and redemption! (1 Cor 1:30)
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